Giants 3B Evan Longoria to undergo MRI

Giants third baseman Evan Longoria exited their win over the Angels on Monday with soreness in his right side. Longoria will undergo an MRI on Tuesday, though he’s hopeful that he isn’t dealing with a serious injury, Maria Guardado of MLB.com tweets.

The Giants entered 2021 mired in a four-year playoff drought, while Longoria has struggled of late in his own right, but the two have come alive again. San Francisco is 34-20, a half-game up in the National League West race, and Longoria has been one of its top contributors. The 35-year-old, formerly a standout with Tampa Bay, saw his numbers drop precipitously over the past few seasons, but the three-time All-Star has looked more like his younger self in 2021. He went 2-for-2 with a home run on Monday, raising his line to an outstanding .274/.360/.510 (140 wRC+) with nine homers in 178 plate appearances this season. Longoria’s success doesn’t seem to be a fluke, either, as he ranks near the top of the majors in most relevant Statcast categories.

San Francisco, which replaced Longoria with Mauricio Dubon on Monday, can only hope he will avoid a stint on the injured list. The Giants already have a few infielders on the IL in first basemen Brandon Belt and Darin Ruf and second baseman Tommy La Stella, the latter of whom won’t return until at least July.